The invention disclosed herein pertains to an improved system for flushing the air with an inert gas such as carbon dioxide from the space around the mouth of a container, such as a bottle or a can, as the container is transported through a container closing machine.
German laid open application DE OS 35 15 334 describes a container closing machine wherein each closing device which applies a cap to a bottle is adjacent an individual jet or nozzle that orbits with the closing or capping devices. The relatively narrow jets are arranged within the circular path of the orbiting closing or capping devices such that the jet openings project an inert gas stream radially outwardly to sweep only over the container which is centered below the associated closing device. This arrangement establishes an air or oxygen free atmosphere in the vicinity of the bottle mouth before the sealing cap is applied to the bottle. This known system consumes a relatively small quantity of inert gas and is successful in preventing the entry of atmospheric oxygen into the container being filled. The arrangement has several disadvantages including the need for a number of supply lines for supplying the inert gas to the jets which lines orbit with the orbiting jets. Each jet also requires a rotary or sliding valve that is difficult to position radially inwardly of the circle defined by the orbiting bottle cap applying devices. A further complication results from the need for having a plurality of hoses running to the slide valves through which the gas is fed to the jets. It is known that this arrangement has significant operating problems resulting from the air flushing devices all lying radially inwardly of the circular path followed by the orbiting bottle closing devices. Thus, the parts of the system are accessible only with substantial difficulty and inconvenience.
The invention disclosed herein simplifies construction of the air flushing system of a container closing machine, thereby increasing its reliability.